Aurora theater reopens

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AURORA, Colo. (AP) – The Colorado cinema where 12 people were killed and dozens injured in a shooting rampage nearly six months ago reopens Thursday with a remembrance ceremony and a private screening of the fantasy film “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” for survivors – but for some Aurora victims, the pain is still too much, the idea too horrific.

Several families boycotted what they called a callous public relations ploy by the theater’s owner, Cinemark. They claimed the Texas-based company – which has been publicly silent since the July 20 shooting – didn’t ask them what should happen to the theater. They said Cinemark emailed them an invitation to Thursday’s reopening just two days after they struggled through Christmas without their loved ones.

Others, like Aurora Mayor Steve Hogan, said the event was part of the healing process and that many residents wanted to see the theater back up and running.

James Holmes, a former neuroscience Ph.D. student, is charged with 166 felony counts, mostly murder and attempted murder, in the July 20 shootings at the former Century 16 – now the Century Aurora. A judge ordered Holmes to stand trial, but he won’t enter a plea until March.

First responders to the massacre, Hogan, Gov. John Hickenlooper and religious leaders were to join survivors at the multiplex for Thursday’s event.

In addition to the “Hobbit” screening, theater placards featured “Trouble With the Curve,” “Cloud Atlas,” “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” and other films for the weekend.

Victims have filed at least three federal lawsuits against Cinemark, alleging it should have provided security for the midnight “The Dark Knight Rises” showing, and that an exit door used by the gunman to get his weapons and re-enter should have had an alarm. In court papers, Cinemark says the tragedy was “unforeseeable and random.”

Hogan noted that the community grieves and heals in different ways but insisted that most Aurora residents wanted to reopen the theater.

“For those who don’t want to be there, who can’t be there, I understand and respect that,” Hogan said. “For us here, the larger community if you will, it is part of the healing process.”

Vanessa Ayala is a cousin of Jonathan Blunk, a 26-year-old Navy veteran and father of two who was killed. Ayala said she believed the multiplex should have been torn down and, perhaps, turned into a park. At the very least, she said, the auditorium where the shooting occurred should be a memorial.

Phillips said Thursday she understood the practicality of reopening the theater but wishes Cinemark had asked families about plans for the theater and how they would like their relatives to be honored.

“They could have avoided a lot of ill feeling,” she said of the company.

Building plans called for turning theater nine, where Holmes allegedly opened fire, into an “extreme digital cinema.” It wasn’t known if there would be a memorial.

Cinemark reportedly spent $1 million on renovations. Before it did, it allowed survivors and families to visit theater nine. Jacqueline Keaumey Lader, a U.S. Marine and Iraq war veteran, did so.

“It does help significantly,” she said. “It’s taken the power away from the place.”

Cinemark planned to temporarily open the theater to the public Friday and offer free movies through the weekend. It will permanently reopen on Jan. 25.